Applying for Financial Aid

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Students must complete and turn in the Student Evaluation BEFORE you leave! Please write Clearly! Must submit your FAFSA/DREAM Act and Cal Grant GPA by March 2 nd Make sure to include Workshop ID # Cash for College Evaluation 3

Types of Applications FAFSA  Cal Grant GPA Verification Form  Other applications or forms as required by the college such as: 2014 federal tax returns (along with all schedules and W-2s) or other income documentation CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE Institutional Scholarship and/or Financial Aid Application 4 Undocumented students covered under AB540 or DACA should complete the California Dream Act Application

Types of Financial Aid 5 Gift Aid - Grants or scholarships that do not need to be earned or repaid Work - Money earned by the student as payment for a job on or off campus Loans - Borrowed money to be paid back, usually with interest

Sources of Financial Aid 6 Federal government State government Colleges and universities Private agencies, companies, foundations, and employers

How Does Financial Aid Work? 7 Colleges determine and offer their students financial aid based on the following equation. Also known as “Need Analysis.” Cost of Attendance (COA)  Expected Family Contribution (EFC)  Financial NEED (Financial Aid Eligibility)

Cal Grants 8 Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards – for high school seniors and recent high school grads with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 family income and assets below the state ceilings who demonstrate financial need Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards – for high school seniors and recent high school grads with a GPA of at least 2.0 who come from disadvantaged or low income families whose family income and assets are below the state ceilings who demonstrate financial need Cal Grant C Awards - for students from low income families pursuing vocational programs of study

To be eligible for a Cal Grant, the student must also: be a U.S. citizen, eligible noncitizen, AB540 student - including AB540 eligible DACA students be a California resident attend an eligible, accredited California college or university at least half-time in Eligibility for Cal Grants 9

Cal Grant Application Requirements 10 Check with your high school or college counselor for more details on how to file the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form, required of all students By March 2, 2016, complete and submit: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Cal Grant GPA Verification Form If eligible under AB540 or DACA, students should complete the California Dream Act Application:

Undergraduates with family incomes of up to $150,000 and net worth of assets of up to $150,000 who: Submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or CA Dream Act Application by March 2, 2016 attend a UC or CSU are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or have AB 540 status, are California residents, and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA Annual award amounts: To be determined by the California Student Aid Commission Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) 11

California Chafee Grant 12 The California Chafee Grant program provides up to $5,000 annually to current and former foster youth for college or vocational training at any accredited college in the U.S., based on available funding To be eligible, foster youth must have been in California foster care on their 16 th birthday and not have reached their 22 nd birthday before July 1, 2016 Foster youth are encouraged to apply during their senior year of high school To apply, the foster youth must complete: FAFSA California Chafee Grant Program Application AB540 students may also be eligible To apply for a Chafee Grant, go to:

Undocumented Students and is applying to any California public college or university, check to see if he/she might be eligible for in-state tuition/fee costs (AB540) visit to learn more about the new California Dream Act signed into law in 2011 check with colleges and universities about CA Dream Act institutional financial aid and private scholarships and the timelines for applying apply for all other private scholarships for which the student may be eligible start inquiring in elementary, middle or high school to see if it is possible for younger students to become permanent residents For more information and a list of scholarships, go to If the student is undocumented 13

Assembly Bill (AB) 540 (Firebaugh, 2001) Created the first state authorized benefit for undocumented students in California – exemption from non-resident tuition at public postsecondary institutions Criteria: Attended a CA high school for 3+ years Graduated from a CA high school or the equivalent Enrolls in a public CA college or university If the student is without lawful immigration status, student must file an affidavit with the institution stating that he/she has filed an application to legalize status or will file as soon as eligible 14

FAFSA on the Web (FOTW) 16 Internet application used by students and parents to complete electronic FAFSA at: Sophisticated online edits checks and skip logic help avoid errors Online help is available for each question Student and one custodial parent should get a Federal Student Aid ID (FSAID) to sign FAFSA at:

Login Using FSA ID 17

Section 3 - Determination of Student Dependency Status 18

Section 4 Parent Demographics 19 Who is considered a parent? Biological or adoptive parent(s) Including same-sex parents Including unmarried parents living together In case of divorced or separated parents who don’t live together, provide information about the parent the student lived with more in the last 12 months Stepparent (regardless of any prenuptial agreements), if currently married to the student’s custodial parent

Section 4 Who is Not a Parent ? 20

Section 2 School Selection 21  While in the School Selection Section, the student will be asked to enter the location and name or the federal school code for each school to which he/she wants FOTW information sent  If the student does not know the federal school code, enter the state in which the college/university is located and search for the federal school code by the college/university name

Section 2 - School Selection Strategies for Listing Colleges FAFSA and CA Dream Act allow the student to list up to 10 colleges/universities that will receive his/her student and parent information List a California college or university first (for Cal Grant consideration) Then list those schools with the earliest financial aid deadlines, regardless of whether they are in-state or out-of-state If the student is applying to more than ten schools, wait for the processed Student Aid Report (SAR) and add additional schools via the Web or by phone using the student PIN NOTE: Each UC and CSU campus must be listed separately 22

Section 5 Parents’ 2015 Tax Return Filing Completion Status 23  Students will be asked to provide information about their parent tax filing status for 2015:  If parents have completed a 2015 federal income tax return, select “Already completed”  If parents have not as yet filed, but plan to file a 2015 federal income tax return, select “Will file”  If parents have not, nor will not, file a 2015 federal income tax return and are not required to do so, select “Not going to file” 2015, Thresholds as provided by IRS: Single: $10,300 or more Married, filing jointly: $20,600 Head of Household: $13,250 (Defined as someone who paid more than half the costs of keeping up a home for the year)

Section Adjusted Gross Income 24 If the student’s parents have not yet filed their 2015 federal tax return, use estimated 2014 information for this question The “Income Estimator” on the FOTW may help calculate this amount If the student’s parents have completed their 2015 federal tax return, use actual 2015 tax return information to complete this item if they are not eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval process 2015?

Section 5 - Money Earned from Work by Parent(s) in Use W-2 forms and other records to determine all income in 2015 earned from work (including business income earned from self-employment) for Parent 1 and Parent 2 How much did your Parent 1 earn from working (wages, salaries, tips, etc.) in 2015? How much did your Parent 2 earn from working (wages, salaries, tips, etc.) in 2015?

Section 5 IRS Data Retrieval 26  This question asks if parents have completed their 2015 IRS income tax return  If parent(s) answer “Already completed,” they will be given the option to transfer their 2015 income tax information directly from IRS records to the FOTW  If parents indicate that they have recently filed their 2015 taxes, they may not be able to access their IRS data if they have filed taxes electronically within the last three weeks or by mail within the last eleven weeks  Instead, they should use their actual 2015 IRS tax return to complete the FOTW so the student does not miss any important financial aid deadlines 2015,

Section 5 IRS Data Retrieval (continued) 27

Section 5 IRS Data Retrieval (continued) 28

Section 5 IRS Tax Transcript 29

Section 5 Parent Asset Information 30 NOTE: Some financial aid offices may request supporting documentation for the answers to these questions Parents may be asked to report their assets as of the day they complete the FOTW if amounts exceed those shown in the question on the FOTW. If so:  Parent(s) must list the net value of their assets as of the day they complete the FOTW  If net worth is zero, enter 0 0

Using a FSA ID to Sign the FAFSA 31 The U.S. Department of Education has replaced the Federal Student Aid PIN or FSA PIN with a new Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, effective May 10, The FSA ID will allow students and parents to access and electronically sign the online version of the FAFSA with a user-selected username and password. This new login process will be more secure, since it eliminates the need for students and parents to provide personally identifiable information (PII), such as their name, date of birth and Social Security Number (SSN), every time they access U.S. Department of Education web sites. This change permits self-service password retrieval by without requiring the applicant to reveal PII. It also allows for name changes (e.g., through marriage) without requiring an application for a new FSA ID.

Section 6 Student Signature Page 32  Sign and Submit  Recommend that students and their parents sign the FAFSA electronically using their FSA IDs  Remember to read and mark “Agree” to the student Terms of Agreement What is your (the student’s) ID? I Forgot/Don’t Know MY ID

Section 7 Confirmation 33  Confirmation Page  Confirms date and time of submission of the FOTW to the U.S. Department of Education Confirmation Page  Shows  Expected Family Contribution (EFC)  Estimated Federal Pell Grant and Federal Stafford Loan eligibility  List of schools to receive FAFSA data

34 Contact the Financial Aid Office if there are circumstances which affect a family’s ability to pay for college such as: Loss or reduction in parent or student income or assets Death or serious illness Natural disasters affecting parent income or assets such as the recent California wind storms, wild fires, floods, or mudslides Unusual medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance Reduction in child support, Social Security benefits or other untaxed benefit Financial responsibility for elderly grandparents, or Any other unusual circumstances that affect a family’s ability to contribute to higher education Special Circumstances

35 Gather necessary documents ahead of time Complete a FAFSA on the Web available at: Allow ample time to complete the online FOTW application for submission by the deadline Check the FAFSA on the Web for accuracy prior to submission Save all work periodically Sign the application using student’s and one custodial parent’s FSA IDs Print and keep a copy of the FAFSA before submitting data Print and keep a copy of the Submission Confirmation Page Application Filing Tips FAFSA on the Web

What Happens Next? 36 Students and the colleges the student listed receive Student Aid Report (SAR) from federal processor  Students who complete FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form receive California Aid Report (CAR)  Students and families review SAR and CAR for important information and accuracy of data  Colleges match admission records with FAFSA and other required financial aid forms to determine aid eligibility  Colleges provide notices of financial aid eligibility to admitted students who have completed all required financial aid forms

37 Some students may be required to verify the information reported on the FAFSA If selected for verification, the tax information of federal tax filers will be verified through The IRS Data Retrieval Process, or IRS Tax transcripts if requested by the college or university Non-tax filers selected for verification may be asked to provide Signed statements confirming that they did not file a 2015 federal tax return and were not required by IRS to do so Copies of W-2s or other income documentation from each employer, if any income was earned from work All selected aid applicants will also be asked to verify certain demographic data listed such as Household size and number in college Child Support paid and SNAP, if reported on the FAFSA Enrollment History for transfer students Identity Confirmation Federal Verification

38 By opening a WebGrants Account a student can: Check Cal Grant award status 24/7 Confirm student’s high school graduation as required Make changes to Cal Grant school choices View how much a Cal Grant is worth at different California colleges and universities View Cal Grant payment history Create a WebGrants account at: Check Your Cal Grant

39 FAFSA on the Web – Live Help Phone FED-AID ( ) the U.S. Department of Education at: If You Need Help at Any Time